How to Troubleshoot Audio CD Creation in Windows Media Player for Windows XP (306319)

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To troubleshoot audio CD creation (burning) in Windows Media Player for Windows XP:

• The recordable CD drive may not be connected. Verify that the drive is properly connected.
• A blank disk may not be in the recordable CD drive. Verify that a blank disk is inserted in the drive.
• Another program may be using the recordable CD drive. Quit other programs that may be using the recordable CD drive.
• You may be unable to create a data CD in Windows XP. Try to create a regular data CD in Windows Explorer. For information about how to do so, please see Help and Support. Note that if you cannot create data CDs in Windows XP, audio CD creation will not function.
• There may not be enough free storage space on your hard disk. Before Windows Media Player copies files to a recordable CD, temporary copies of those files (known collectively as a disk image) are stored on your hard disk. The image may use up to 1 gigabyte (GB) of hard disk space. Windows Media Player cannot copy files to a recordable disk if you do not have enough free hard disk space to store the image. Free at least 1 GB of storage space on your hard disk, or store the image on another hard disk that has at least 1 GB of free storage space.
  
  NOTE: To specify the hard disk where disk images are stored:
  
  
  1. In Windows Media Player, click Options on the Tools menu.
  2. Click the Devices tab, and then double-click the name of the CD-R or CD-RW drive you are using.
  3. Click the Recording tab, and then click a hard disk.
  4. Click OK, and then click OK.
• The CD-R or CD-RW drive may be encountering buffering errors because of the speed of the burn. To resolve this issue, select a slower burn speed (by default, Windows Media Player is set to burn at the fastest speed). This is especially effective on USB CD-R and CD-RW drives.
  
  NOTE: To select a slower burn speed:
  
  
  1. In Windows Media Player, click Options on the Tools menu.
  2. Click the Devices tab, and then double-click the name of the CD-R or CD-RW drive you are using.
  3. Click the Recording tab, and then select a write speed that is slower or is the slowest available speed.
  4. Click OK, and then click OK.
• Try selecting a different set of content to copy to CD. If this resolves the issue, the media files you cannot copy may be damaged.
• Make sure the CD-R or CD-RW drive has been updated to the latest firmware from the hardware manufacturer.
• Try creating a CD with different media. Sometimes certain CD-R and CD-RW drives have issues with writable CD media from a particular manufacturer.

NOTE: Not all CD-R and CD-RW media can be played in consumer CD players. They should be playable in most computer CD-ROM and DVD-ROM drives.

For a complete list of CD-R and CD-RW drives that are compatible with Windows XP, please see the following Microsoft Windows Hardware Compatibility List Web site: